


Blurryface

by olgushka



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Demonic Possession, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Plot Twist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 19:24:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8634976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olgushka/pseuds/olgushka
Summary: Blurryface takes over.





	

It’s 2:24 in the morning when Tyler realizes that he’s standing in the middle of the tour bus lounge with a kitchen knife in his hand. He doesn’t know how or when he got there. He’s alone. 

He feels gentle vibrations of the moving vehicle. They’re on the road again, somewhere in Missouri, moving West. Or maybe it’s Kansas already, he doesn’t know. Every highway looks the same for him, at least at night. 

He rotates the knife in his hand, admiring the blade, trying to understand what’s going on. There’s a rustling sound coming from the bunks and a very sleepy Josh opens the door. He looks at Tyler like he’s not quite sure if it’s still a dream or not.

„Hey. What are you doing up?” Josh asks in a raspy voice, looking at the knife in Tyler’s hand.

„Was hungry.” Tyler mumbles because nothing else comes to his mind. He sits down on the couch and takes an apple from the fruit bowl at the center of the table.

Josh hums and makes his way to the toilet. In the meantime, Tyler starts to fiddle with the apple, digging the knife into the fruit without looking at it. When the drummer is back in the lounge again, he takes a bottle of water from the counter and drinks it in a few quick gulps. 

Tyler stares at his bare back. 

„ _Now. Do it now._ ” He looks around because he can swear that he just heard a voice that didn’t belong to Josh. But then he remembers that there are other people on the bus and one of them is probably sleep talking. „ _Now._ ” He hears it again and he frowns.

Josh turns around and takes a few steps towards the bunk area. 

„ _Now._ ”

„Tyler, stop making a mess.” He points to several pieces of the apple next to Tyler’s feet. „I’m going back to bed.”

„ _Now. Now. Now is your chance. Do it. DO IT. NOW!_ ” 

Tyler’s breath hitches because the voice is loud and it doesn’t sound like sleep talking at all.

„ _Too late._ ”

The amount of disappointment and anger in those two words is unbelievable but then it gets quiet. The voice is gone and Tyler sits still for a few minutes just to be sure it won’t come back again.

He stands up and looks at the apple and the knife that he is still holding in his hands. He has to take a closer look because there’s something carved in the flesh of the fruit. When he reads the word he pales and throws the apple across the room. He drops the knife to the floor, kicks it under the couch and stumbles backwards until his back is pressed against the wall. 

The apple lands on the purple shag rug and the four letters are still there.

_K I L L_

 

Someone shakes him awake and he opens his eyes. He’s in his bed and there’s Josh’s hand on his shoulder. 

„Morning. We stopped for breakfast.” Josh grins.

„Cool. Give me five minutes.” The singer rubs his eyes.

„Want me to wait for you?”

„No.” Tyler shakes his head. „You can go. Order the usual for me, okay?”

„Sure thing.”

„Thanks.”

He rolls out of his bunk. He hadn’t had nightmares in ages and this one was particulary scary and too real for his liking. 

He makes his way through the bus, stops in the empty lounge and looks around. The bottle of water stands exactly where Josh left it in his dream and there’s a tiny piece of an apple on the floor. He makes sure that no one is around and drops to his knees to take a look under the couch. The knife is still there.

He feels sick and suddenly his heart goes straight to his throat. _It wasn’t a dream_. And then he remembers: he remembers picking up the apple and throwing it at the very bottom of a waste bin. He remembers running to his bunk, closing the curtain and hiding under the covers.

His hands shake when he splashes his face with water above the sink in the tiny bathroom. He looks at his reflection in the mirror. He’s still himself, he still looks like himself. There’s nothing unusual in how he looks like. He goes back to his bunk, grabs a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt and puts it on. 

Before he finds others, he takes a few deep breaths and tries to compose himself. _It’s fine. Weird things happen all the time. It’s probably because of stress. It’s fine. I’m fine_. 

„ _If you say so._ ” 

He quickly turns around but there’s no one there. He runs out of the bus and joins Josh at the table in a small roadside restaurant. 

„You took your time.” Josh says, almost finished with his food. „Your breakfast has probably gone cold already.”

„It’s fine.” He picks up his fork and shoves a large piece of bacon into his mouth. 

„Are you alright? You look kinda pale.”

„I think our tour bus is haunted.”

„Right. Are you sure you're not coming down with something?” Josh reaches above the table and touches Tyler’s forehead with the back of his hand. 

Tyler shakes his head and focuses on eating. 

 

The voice in his head gets louder and clearer with time and sometimes he loses control over his own body. He catches himself on doing things he hadn’t been planning to do, he stares in disbelief when his hands pick up things he doesn’t need – especially knives or any other type of blades. Many times he finds himself somewhere with a knife in his hand, spinning it around his fingers like Josh spins his drumsticks. 

He feels suicidal more that ever. He knows it’s not normal and he’s scared because he doesn’t understand what is happening to him and why his body keeps acting against his will but above it all - why an unnaturally low voice is constantly telling him what to do.

He doesn’t say anything to anyone. He doesn’t want people to think he’s crazy.

He avoids others because he always unintentionally snaps at them or says something awful. He loses control over words coming out of his mouth so he makes excuses about being tired. He stops meeting fans because he doesn’t know how to talk to them anymore. He says weird things that hardly anyone understands and one time he almost says _too bad you didn’t_ when a young girl tells him that she wanted to kill herself but his lyrics helped her to get through all the bad things in life.

He tries to analize his actions and he realizes that all those _symptoms_ , as he likes to call it, intensify when he feels insecure or anxious. When he does things without overthinking everything and focuses on his passions instead of fears, the voice never shows up.

He’s cold and distant when it comes to Josh because he suddenly feels a special kind of hatred towards him. Sometimes he forgets all the love he has for his boyfriend. He avoids touches, kisses and getting intimate. And Josh doesn’t ask. He knows that Tyler gets stuck in his private world inside of his head and from time to time he needs his space. He makes sure that the singer knows he’s always there for him but doesn’t push anything.

But Tyler’s mood swings get out of control more and more every day. Sometimes he’s cheerful, he hugs Josh and initiates kisses but right after that he turns into a bad guy again. When one time Josh corners him in their hotel room and asks what’s going on, Tyler says something through his gritted teeth, something that sounds like _it’s none of your fucking business_ and shoves him out of his way. And Josh is shocked because Tyler never uses the f- word. No matter how angry or upset he gets, he never curses. 

He doesn’t come back to the room that night and Josh doesn’t even know where to look for him in the city he’s never been to. Tyler shows up in the morning, joins Josh for breakfast and acts like nothing ever happened. He even feeds Josh his sausages after he notices that his boyfriend is playing with the food, pushing it around the plate, lost in thoughts.

 

And for a few days things seem normal again. Tyler looks happy and even if something is bothering him, he doesn’t let it show. 

„Come on. I wanna make things right between us.” He says one day after he finds Josh in the dressing room. He kisses him, winks playfully and leads them outside the venue to the parking lot, straight to the empty tour bus. 

They have the whole vehicle to themselves since others are busy preparing the stage before the show. They kiss eagerly and Tyler straddles the drummer's lap, his fingers tracing circles on Josh’s chest under his shirt. One of his hands makes its way to Josh’s neck, stroking the area under his jaw. Josh smiles and grinds his crotch against Tyler’s.

When Tyler gently squeezes Josh’s neck to deepen the kiss, he hears the voice again.

„ _NOW._ ”

 _No. Oh no. Not again. Not now_ , Tyler thinks, feeling that he's loosing control.

„ _Now is a good time. DO IT._ ”

His fingers curl around Josh’s throat and he hardens the grip.

Josh frowns but shrugs it off because Tyler is never ashamed to experiment with new kinks. But then Tyler’s fingers dig more into the skin and Josh has to break the kiss and cough because the air is suddenly gone.

„Too much.” He says and stares into the singer’s eyes who doesn’t respond. Their eyes are locked but Tyler’s seem soulless now and he’s still keeping his hand on Josh’s neck. „It hurts. Stop it, I don’t like this.” He tries to take Tyler’s hand off his throat but then Tyler’s fingers push hard on his skin and suddenly the other hand joins and Josh can’t breathe and Tyler still doesn’t react when Josh is trying to free himself. „Tyler...” He grips singer’s hands around his wrists and tries to tear them off but he can’t because Tyler is strong even if he doesn’t look like a strong person. „WHAT THE HELL, TYLER, STOP!”

He panics because his boyfriend is unresponsive and he knows that if he lets Tyler choke him for a few more seconds, he will pass out. He finds the last bit of strength and knees Tyler in the stomach. He rolls to the side and pushes hard on Tyler’s chest as they both roll out of the top bunk and land on the floor with a loud thud. Josh’s back is on the floor but he quickly sits up because Tyler finally lost the grip on his neck and now he’s kneeling beside him on the floor. 

Tyler blinks and looks at his hands. Then he looks up at Josh and his lover’s neck where red finger marks are visible and he starts shaking.

„ _You’re so weak. You can’t do anything right!_ ” 

„Oh my God...” He whispers.

„What the hell was that?” Josh looks at him with wide, terrified eyes.

„Oh my God.” Tyler says again and then he flees. 

He pushes past Josh, opens the door and runs through the lounge and outside, as far away from the venue as he can. He finds a big lonely tree and sits down in the shadow because he feels like his legs may give out at any moment. He tugs at his hair and whimpers quietly. He’s afraid to go back to the venue, he’s afraid to face Josh because he doesn’t know how to explain anything. He just tried to hurt his boyfriend. He tried to kill Josh.

He keels over and throws up on the grass. His throat is burning and tears are rolling down his face. He’s terrified of himself, of the voice, of his thoughts.

„ _Good. You should be._ ”

„Who are you and what do you want from me?” He asks out loud.

„ _You know who I am. My name’s Blurryface._ ”

„No… You’re not real. You’re just a figment of my imagination. You’re not real.”

„ _You made me. You created me. You brought me to life. So I’m here._ ”

„You’re not real. Go away, go away, go away...” He sobs.

„ _I can’t do that. You don’t really want me gone. And I’m the only one who cares what you think._ ”

 

After what seems like hours, he finally makes his way back to the venue. He sneaks into his dressing room and lets out a breath but when he turns the light on, Josh is there. He’s sitting on the sofa and tapping his fingers on his knee, clearly waiting for him. Tyler looks away and grabs his stage clothes. 

„Tyler.”

„I don’t want to talk about it.” 

„Too bad. Because I do.”

„Josh… I’m sorry. Okay? I’m sorry.”

„That’s it?”

„What do you want me to say?” Tyler turns around and finally looks at the drummer.

„I don’t know. I just want to understand what happened back there.”

„I can’t explain.”

„Try?”

„ _No._ ”

„No.”

He shakes his head and squeezes his eyes. _Go away_.

He can feel his hands forming into fists, ready to attack. He tries to breathe and take control over his body and mind but he’s aware that Blurry is so much stronger than him.

„Please, leave.” He says to Josh, voice shaking slightly. „You have to leave.”

„Tyler...”

„Josh, leave. I don’t want to hurt you.” He feels tightness in his chest and already knows that something bad is about to happen.

„ _Yes, you do._ ”

„I _don’t_ want to hurt you.” He says louder. „I don’t want _him_ to hurt you.”

„What are you talking about?” Josh frowns.

„ _This._ ”

And suddenly Tyler lets out a scream and picks up a vase full of flowers from the table and throws it with an unbelievable force in Josh’s direction. The vase shatters against the wall right above his head and luckily, Josh is quick enough to make a move and avoid sharp pieces of glass that are flying everywhere.

„FREAKING HELL!” Josh screams and looks at his boyfriend with wide eyes.

„Leave!” Tyler screams too and drops to his knees on the floor but then his voice becomes more quiet. „I’ll see you before the show, okay? Please. Just go. Go, Josh. Go. NOW!”

Josh doesn’t say anything more, he leaves the room and shuts the door behind him. Tyler tries to calm his breathing and when he finally does, he crawls to the other side of the room and stands up in front of the mirror. 

„You can kill me… You can make _me_ kill _myself_ if you want but leave Josh out of this.” He says to his reflection. 

„ _Let me decide about that._ ” Blurry says and when he does that, Tyler can swear that his eyes went red for a quick moment. 

„Listen.” He points his finger to the mirror. „I don’t know how the hell it’s possible that you’re even real and what do you want from me. But if you hurt Josh-” He stops because he really doesn’t know what he could possibly do. Call the exorcist? 

But it’s quiet in his head now and there’s no trace of the voice. He turns around and sighs at the sight. He starts cleaning up the mess. Water has already soaked through the carpet so there’s nothing he can do. But he picks up the remains of the vase and then collects the flowers. He presses them under his nose, smelling the scent and he wants to cry because they’re from Josh. Of course Josh was the one to get him flowers without any special occasion because Josh is too romantic for his own good sometimes and he buys him things even if Tyler acts like an asshole. He looks around the room but finds nothing he can use so he cuts an empty plastic bottle in a half and puts the flowers in the water because there’s no way he will let them _die_.

He joins Josh backstage two minutes before the show starts. They don’t say a word to each other and don’t hug like they always do. Josh keeps his distance and doesn’t come anywhere close to Tyler and when it’s time, he quickly climbs onto the stage and sits behind his drums. He wears a bandana around his neck during the whole show to hide red marks and purple bruises that have already started to form on his skin. 

 

Everything goes right until Tyler starts messing up lyrics to his own songs. He knows it’s Blurry’s doing but he tries so hard to resist him. He tries to act like there’s nothing wrong and casually turns the mic in the crowd’s direction a few times to let them sing.

They’re in the middle of the set and he wants to run away. He feels more and more anxious and he can see disappointed looks on people faces because this is far from a normal Twenty One Pilots show. 

During _Car Radio_ he climbs on the top of the scaffolding. He looks down at the crowd and suddenly feels so dizzy that he needs to crouch down and grip the metal railings as hard as he can to avoid the fall. He sings the last part of the song and takes off his ski mask. He feels like he can’t breathe but he climbs down and makes his way back on the stage.

Two more songs. _I can do this_. He can do this and then he will lock himself somewhere for a whole week or maybe he will get in the car and drive as far as he can because they have a whole week off and he feels like he really needs to be alone or someone will get seriously hurt.

He doesn’t speak to anyone after the show and doesn’t show up to talk to the fans. He ignores everyone who asks him if he’s alright and goes to the dressing room. He doesn’t even shower, he just packs his bag and sneaks outside the venue. He hails a cab and gives an address of the hotel. The cab driver sends him weird looks in the rearview mirror and finally warns him that he looks kinda green and if he pukes in his car, he will have to pay for the cleaning. Tyler nods and turns his head, hiding as much as he can in his baggy hoodie.

He gets to the hotel room that he’s supposed to share with Josh and locks the door. It’s dark and quiet. It’s quiet in his head too, almost as if Blurry has lost his ideas of how to make his life even more miserable. He showers until all the warm water is gone (and then he feels bad because Josh will have to take a cold shower if he doesn’t use one in the venue) and lies down on the bed with only a towel around his hips. He takes his phone, ignores all the missed calls and text messages from Josh and the crew and goes straight on Twitter. He already knows what he will see in his mentions and he’s not mistaken.

@ Seriously, what the fuck. That was the worst TOP show I’ve ever been to.

@ Tyler didn’t seem like himself.

@ Stop it, guys. They’re probably just tired. They’re allowed to be tired.

@ What a waste of money.

@ I swear, people in the crowd sang more words than Tyler, I didn’t sign up for this.

He growls and puts his phone under the pillow. 

 

In the morning, he scribbles a short note for Josh telling him that he’s sorry and leaves the room before his boyfriend wakes up. He takes a cab again and goes straight to the airport. He buys a ticket for the first available plane to Columbus. 

He locks himself in his flat, closes the curtains in every room and doesn’t go out. There’s not much edible food in his fridge but there’s no way he would show up in any grocery store now. He sleeps most days and eats nothing but sleeping pills and dry cereal and barely leaves the bed. Sleeping is his only escape because he can’t hear Blurry and Blurry is not able to make him sleepwalk and do something stupid because the pills are strong and they would probably knock out an elephant.

But there are only a few pills in the box and after the fourth day the box is empty. When there’s no more pills, he finds himself drowning his sorrows in booze. 

He goes to the bathroom, throws up and looks in the mirror. He looks like a shadow and there are dark circles under his eyes. He can hear Blurry telling him something but he can’t really catch any words. 

“Shut up.” He slurs.

He feels dizzy and his vision is blurred but he giggles because vodka does a really good job at distracting him. He stumbles over his own feet because the flat’s a mess but at least Blurry doesn’t seem so scary anymore.

The courage leaves him in the evening after he sobered up enough to realize that there’s no more alcohol. He pulls at his hair because Blurry is laughing and the sound of his laughter is frightening. 

“I’m still stronger than you. I made you, therefore I can destroy you.”

“ _Whatever you say._ ”

“I’m stronger than you.” He repeats.

“ _Oh, Tyler. My silly Tyler._ ”

And he feels himself rolling off the couch and making his way to the kitchen. He grabs a glass from the counter and squeezes it in his hand until it breaks. Blood starts to run down his fingers as he takes the sharpest piece and presses it against the inside of his wrist. His hands are numb and he can’t move them. He’s terrified and his body shakes like a leaf in the wind and the piece of glass is pushing hard on his vein.

“ _Do you still think you’re stronger than me?_ ”

He nods. He presses harder and hisses in pain because there’s a tiny cut on his wrist and it already starts to bleed.

“ _Are you sure?_ ” 

He nods again and repeats firmly.

“Yes. I am stronger than you.”

And then he screams in pain because the sharp glass slides hard across his skin. 

„ _Oh. I missed the vein. My bad. Do you want me to try again?_ ”

And Tyler’s mind flashes with _ABORT!_ signs, because _no_ , he’s not stronger, he’s too weak and there’s no way he could fight Blurry off.

„S-stop. Please. I don’t want to die. No.” 

„ _You told me you would let me kill you. And I want you to die today._ ”

„No, please...” 

At the same moment, the doorbell rings and Blurryface disappears and Tyler finally feels that he's got the control back. He throws the glass on the floor, rips off a piece of paper towel and presses it against the wound. There’s blood on the floor and there’s blood on his white t-shirt and there’s shattered glass on the counter. And there’s a sound of a key turning in the lock and the door being pushed open and he knows it’s Josh because no one else has a spare key to his flat – even his parents. And when he hears footsteps in the hallway he knows that they’re both so, _so_ screwed because they’re alone in Tyler’s flat and Blurry will not miss the chance to demonstrate his power again.

He hears his boyfriend’s voice. 

„I know you’re home Tyler, I saw the lights on. I’ve had enough. I gave you space but it’s time to stop moping. We need to have a serious talk. What the heck happened in this flat? Dude, we all have bad days but it’s not the reason to-” Josh enters the kitchen and stops frozen in the doorway because this is not the view he expected to see. „Jesus Christ! Tyler!” He’s beside the singer in a second and he takes him by the hand and leads him to the sink. He washes the cut and takes a closer look. „It’s not that deep, you don’t need stitches.” He says, pressing another piece of a paper towel to Tyler’s wrist. „God, Tyler… Baby, talk to me. You’ve been acting…” He hesitates. „...weird for some time now and it really scares me. Talk to me. Why would you do that?!”

 _It wasn’t me_ , Tyler wants to say.

Josh carefully draws him against his chest and embraces him. Tyler leans into the touch and starts to cry because he’s tired. He’s exhausted and he wants this to end. He cries harder because he can feel that Blurry is getting ready for something, he doesn’t know what but he’s definitely up to no good.

„Josh...” He wants to make him leave until he’s himself. He wants to keep Josh safe, he can’t hurt Josh. He can’t let Blurry hurt Josh. „You need to go.”

„I only just came in and I’m not leaving you in this state. I’m not leaving until you tell me what on earth is going on.”

„He will hurt you.”

„Who? Tyler, who will hurt me?”

„I’m not strong enough to fight him, he makes me do all those things and I’m not strong enough, I thought I was but I’m not.” He sobs and pushes himself off Josh’s embrace. He grips the edge of the counter, chin close to his chest, breathing hard. „He’s here again, I can feel him. Oh my God, Josh... Run. Please. Please, go!”

„Who? Tyler, look at me!”

And Tyler does. He turns around and looks straight at Josh. And Josh feels like he’s a part of a horror movie because Tyler’s eyes are glowing red. And that’s definitely not Tyler’s voice although his lips are moving.

„ ** _Hello Josh._** ”

„What the fuck!” He takes a few steps back but Tyler is faster and he clenches his hand around Josh’s throat and shoves him backwards, sending him flying into the fridge door. Josh’s back hits the hard surface and he slides down because _damn_ , that was one powerful push.

„ ** _Wanna play?_** ”

„T-Tyler...”

„ ** _I’m not Tyler._** ”

„Tyler, this is NOT funny. I don’t know how you’re doing this but please, stop.”

„ ** _Tyler can’t hear you now._** ”

Josh stands up, watching carefully as Tyler takes a few steps closer, his eyes still red.

„What are you? What the heck is happening?”

„ ** _You ask too many questions, boy._** ”

Tyler comes even closer and at the same time Josh starts to back off further into the flat. 

„Tyler...” He pleads and stands on the other side of the living room. „Please, Ty.”

A flower pot flies in his direction, smashes against the bookstand and there’s dirt everywhere on the carpet. He yelps and moves to stand behind the couch. 

„Why are you doing this?!” He screams and looks around to find something he can defend himself with but finds nothing. Then he realizes that if he started to fight back, he would hurt Tyler. „Baby boy, listen. It’s me, Josh. You don’t want to hurt me. You can fight… whatever this is.”

A small wooden coffee table flies through the air and hits him hard in the chest and sends him to the ground almost knocking him out. He gets up again although his body aches and without taking his eyes off Tyler, he takes a few steps back towards the door. He needs to bring help.

„ ** _You’re leaving this quickly? The real fun hasn’t even begun yet._** ” 

And Tyler is all over him in the blink of the eye, knocking him down to the floor. They struggle a little and roll on the hallway floor. He hits Josh in the jaw and the drummer can feel blood on his tongue. He feels himself being stuck when Tyler straddles his lap, throwing his leg over his hips. The singer lifts his hand and smirks and Josh realizes that Tyler is holding a knife and is more than ready to use it.

„HOLY SHIT!” Josh pushes him as hard as he can and rolls to the side when the knife hits the floor. „Tyler, you don’t want to do this! You’re better than that!”

Tyler laughs. The sound is deep and creepy. Josh manages to free himself and stand up.

„What the hell are you and what do you want from my friend? Leave him alone!”

„ ** _I’m everything Tyler’s afraid of. I’m his anxiety, I’m his imagination. I’m all of his fears and insecurities, I’m his passions and desires, I’m his ups and downs, his victories and failures. And I am more, so much more._** ”

Suddenly, the realization hits Josh.

„Oh. OH! You’re… You’re Blurryface? He’s been writing songs about you!”

„ ** _You’re clever._** ”

„But you’re not real! You can’t be real. This is impossible. Those things just don’t happen in real life.”

„ ** _Me and Tyler are one. He kept me locked inside of his mind for too long. But he got too weak and he let me out. What a fatal mistake. I’m in control now. I’m more powerful than you think._** ”

They stand in the middle of the hallway, facing each other. They both breathe deeply and never take their eyes from one another.

„There must be something… There must be a way to get rid of you.” 

„ ** _Tyler is too terrified to resist me. He’s too weak to fight and his weakness is what makes me stronger. And you? I don’t think you can do anything._** ”

„He’s anything but weak.” Josh says firmly, eyes narrowed and Blurry seems to be taken aback by that. Confusion flashes in his red pupils because suddenly Josh feels the anger and courage building up inside of him. „He’s anything but weak and I know he can defeat you. And I’m more than willing to help him take you out.”

„ ** _How?_** ”

„I can’t fight you physically because that would hurt Tyler and I won’t let that happen. But I can destroy you with your own weapon.” 

He crosses the distance in a few quick steps and pushes Tyler’s body until it hits the wall behind him. He pins him there, keeping his wrists above his head. Tyler starts to wiggle and tries to free himself but Josh leans in and kisses him hard even if his breath is awful and still stinks with alcohol. He pushes his lips against Tyler’s until the air in his boyfriend’s lungs is gone and Tyler tries to push Josh off himself to take a breath. But Josh doesn’t stop until he feels Tyler’s body going limp against him and then he supports him and lowers them both to the ground. Tyler’s eyes are half closed but he looks like he’s about to come to his senses so Josh puts his hands on Tyler’s cheeks and moves closer until he can speak freely right into his ear.

„Listen, you Blurryshitface.” Josh says as bravely as he can because he knows this is his only chance to bring the real Tyler back. „You like to whisper things in people’s ears, huh? So let me whisper something to you now. And listen close because I won’t repeat myself.”

Tyler tries to shake Josh’s hands off but this time Josh is stronger and he keeps Tyler’s head in place.

„I know what’s going on in Tyler’s head. I know him better than anyone, I know him better than YOU. I know what he’s afraid of. He’s afraid of not being good enough but HE IS good enough, he’s MORE THAN good enough. He’s perfect the way he is, in and out and I never want him to change. He’s afraid of failing our fans but he will NEVER fail them because the lyrics he writes and the music he makes come straight from his heart. He has saved so many young lives already. He knows what they feel because he’s been there, he knows a thing or two about pain and darkness and that’s why his words are always so honest. He gives people a reason to wake up in the morning and they look up to him because he’s made this far and he keeps going even if it’s hard. He’s afraid of rejection and he’s scared that I will leave him but deep inside his heart he knows I’d never do that because I LOVE HIM. Do you hear me? I love him with all my strength and I’d die for him.” He puts one of his hands on Tyler’s chest, right above his heart and pushes their foreheads together. „You’re here, Tyler. I know you’re here. And you’re so much stronger than you think. I know that Blurry seems terrifying right now but he’s… he’s nothing. He’s a piece of crap that likes to scare people and make them vulnerable because he feeds off of people’s doubts. You have nothing to be afraid of. He CAN’T hurt you. I’m here and I won’t let him hurt you and if you need my help to take him out, I’m more than ready. You’re strong enough to defeat him, you can destroy him and you can make him go away and never come back. You just need to stop being afraid of him. I’m here and I believe in you. Please, Tyler. Come back to me. I love you. I LOVE YOU. Maybe I don’t say it often enough but I love you and what we have is amazing and I wouldn’t dream of having it any other way.” 

He kisses him again but now the kiss is gentle and loving. He kisses him and he knows he means it like never before. 

„Get the fuck out, Blurry. You’re not welcome here.”

Tyler’s breath hitches and he lets out a short scream, like he’s in pain. He shakes violently while Josh is still embracing him whispering verbal assaults against Blurryface. Finally, Tyler lifts his head very slowly and looks up, searching for Josh’s face. Josh loosens the hug and ruffles Tyler’s hair. The singer frowns like he can’t really remember what happened and where he is and his eyes slowly change from red to brown.

„ ** _You have won a battle but the war is not over._** ” He says, the low voice getting weaker with every word and after that, Tyler faints. 

Josh picks him up bridal style and sets him down on the couch in the living room. He goes to the bathroom, finds a small towel and fills a bowl with cold water. He puts a cold damp cloth on Tyler’s head. And finally his emotions take over because he sits down on the carpet, pinches the bridge of his nose and starts sobbing. He rests his head on the couch next to Tyler’s hip, grips his hand and lets himself close his eyes. His body aches but he hopes… no, he _knows_ that it’s finally over and they will be fine. He falls asleep immediately.

 

„What in the name of God happened here?”

He wakes up to the sound of Tyler’s voice. His boyfriend sits up on the couch and looks around. Josh grins, jumps forward and crashes their mouths together. Tyler kisses him back but after he pulls off his eyes go wide. 

„What happened to your face!?” He asks. „I had a weird dream that I- That we- Oh no.” He shakes his head. „No... That DIDN’T happen, no.”

„It’s okay, Ty. It’s over. He’s gone and he won’t come back. You did it.”

„No.” Tyler shakes his head again and gently touches the cut on Josh’s lip. „ _You_. You did it. If not you, I probably wouldn’t make it out alive. I heard you, you know? When you were talking to him. And I tried to fight and I could feel him getting weaker. Thank you.”

And Josh has his lap full of Tyler. And they both cling to each other, whispering _sorrys_ and _I love yous_ and _we’ll be alrights_.

 

They make Tyler look like himself again. He finally takes a bath and changes his clothes, brushes his teeth and shaves. They clean the flat and make a statement on the official band page to apologize for everything that happened in the last couple of days. Tyler burns every sheet of paper with lyrics that include Blurry. He already knows that Blurryface will be the main character on their new album but now he has to give him a whole new meaning. 

They spend the rest of their free days in Tyler’s flat but when it’s finally time to hit the road again and continue the tour, they pack their bags and call a cab to take them to the airport. 

„Are you ready?” Josh hears Tyler through the bathroom door.

„Almost. Give me a minute.”

He washes off the remains of the shaving cream and wipes his face with a towel. He lifts his head to look in the mirror and his heart stops.  
His pupils flash red for a second and there’s a loud deep voice in his head.

„ _Hello, Josh. Did you miss me?_ ”


End file.
